Moderator: Michael N. Romita, President & CEO of the Westchester County Association (WCA), is a business leader with extensive public policy expertise. Michael has helped to create and advance groundbreaking initiatives designed to strengthen the economy in Westchester and the surrounding region. He is repeatedly recognized as one of the region’s leading voices in business, economic development, and sustainability. The WCA is a founding partner organization of the Welcome Home Westchester campaign.

Joshua Berman, RPA’s Campaigns Director works closely with RPA’s research, advocacy and communications teams to promote and advance key initiatives across the tri-state region. His work includes building support for the Gateway Program, which will rehabilitate and expand passenger rail service between New York and New Jersey and advocating for a statewide framework to address New York’s housing crisis. Before joining RPA, he worked in local government on both the East and West Coast handling issues as diverse as housing policy, public space design, clean transportation planning and composting programming.

Timothy Foley, CEO and Executive Vice President of the Building & Realty Institute of the Hudson Valley (BRI), leads the organization on major housing policy challenges and launched the Welcome Home Westchester campaign to address the region’s housing needs. He has strengthened the BRI’s role as a leading voice for housing and real estate stakeholders across the Hudson Valley, advancing pro-housing policy. Foley currently serves as a Trustee for the Village of Scarsdale, as well as previously served on the Village Planning Board and as President of the Scarsdale Forum.

Chance Mullen, Mayor, Village of Pelham, has led major investments in the Village’s infrastructure, downtown revitalization and housing growth — including an 8% expansion of the village’s housing stock. Mayor Mullen serves as Director of Housing Action Council, a Welcome Home Westchester partner organization, as well as Vice President of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association and chairs its Housing Subcommittee. He is a member of the State Finance Policy Committee for the New York Conference of Mayors, helping shape housing and fiscal policy at the local and state levels.

Linda B. Whitehead, Partner at McCullough, Goldberger & Staudt, LLP, is an attorney practicing primarily municipal and land use law. She acts as Village Attorney to some of the firm’s municipal clients, advising them on all aspects of municipal law. She also guides both property owners and the firm’s municipal clients through complex land use approval processes, including compliance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act. Ms. Whitehead also heads the firm’s transactional real estate practice and has been involved in the approval and financing of several affordable housing projects. Ms. Whitehead regularly lectures on municipal and land use law and real estate matters. McCullough, Goldberger & Staudt, LLP, is a member of Welcome Home Westchester’s Policy Advisory Committee.